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Leader raps ‘nontactical’ retreat against enemy
His remarks came as Iran is preparing to avenge Israel’s assassination of the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an attack in Tehran on July 31.
Iran has blamed Israel for the Haniyeh’s killing, who had traveled to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Pezeshkian. Israel has not commented.
Since then, there have been many diplomatic efforts by many countries, especially regional ones, to persuade Iran not to retaliate against Israel.
“According to the Qur’an, nontactical retreat in any field, whether military or political, publicity and economic fields, will bring about divine wrath,” he told a group of provincial government, military and religious authorities on Wednesday.
The Leader said Iran’s adversaries try to overstate their power as a main tactic in their psychological war.
The Leader said Iran’s adversaries have always tried to instill fear in the nation and force it to retreat on the military field.
“Since the victory of the Revolution, they have been trying to impress the notion that we should fear America, Britain, and the Zionists.”
“If the governments that today surrender to the demands of the arrogant powers rely on their nations and their own capabilities and recognize the reality of the enemy’s power without exaggeration, they can render those demands
ineffective.”
Ayatollah Khamenei also said the result of exaggerating the enemy’s power in the cultural field is a feeling of passivity, being attracted to the enemy’s culture, and belittling one’s own culture.
“The result of such passivity is accepting the lifestyle of the other side and even using foreign words and expressions.”
Ayatollah Khamenei had earlier warned Israel of a “harsh punishment,” saying Iran sees it as its duty to avenge the blood of Haniyeh.
Iran has also dismissed calls by France, Germany and the United Kingdom to stand down its threat against Israel after the assassination of Haniyeh.
Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said in a statement on Tuesday that the request “lacks political logic and contradict principles of international law” and also “constitutes public and practical support” for Israel.
The European countries “raised no objection to the international crimes” of Israel and “impudently asked Iran not to respond to a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
Kanaani said Iran was determined to deter Israel and called on the three countries to “once and for all stand up against the war in Gaza and the warmongering of Israel.”